Karen, do you make non-instant oatmeal? How do you prepare it? I've read that you can do it in the slow cooker, but when I've tried I end up with a pasty, gloppy mess. I like to eat breakfast foods for supper and instant oatmeal is one of my favorites because it's hot and fast.

Thank you,
Elyse

I've been Boo'd... right off the stage!

Aaahh, I have been defrosted! Thank you, Bonny and Asiel!
Brrrr, I've been Frosted! Thank you, Asiel and Pomtzu!

"That's the power of kittens (and puppies too, of course): They can reduce us to quivering masses of Jell-O in about two seconds flat and make us like it. Good thing they don't have opposable thumbs or they'd surely have taken over the world by now." -- Paul Lukas

Karen, do you make non-instant oatmeal? How do you prepare it? I've read that you can do it in the slow cooker, but when I've tried I end up with a pasty, gloppy mess. I like to eat breakfast foods for supper and instant oatmeal is one of my favorites because it's hot and fast.

Thank you,
Elyse

I usually make instant oatmeal, but also have made regular oatmeal in the microwave, follow the directions n the Quaker Oats container, and adding in raisins, brown sugar and cinnamon - yum! And doesn't take very long!

1/2 Cup of Oats
1 3/4 cup of water
5 shakes of cinnamon or so
1 tablespoon brown sugar
a handful of raisins
1 dash of salt

Put all in a microwave-safe bowl, store, microwave for 1-2 minutes, then stir again, and let cool for a minute so you don't burn your mouth then enjoy!

I have a holder that I bought someplace that is a basic wire cage, that I put on a cookie sheet - you can look up "beer can chicken roaster' and see different models, some are like small bundt cake pans that will catch all the juice from the chicken as it cooks.

(the drippings make a good treat for a dog - mixed into a dry plate of food!)

You can use beer, water or stock in the can, I shoved a few celery stalks, dill and water into the can along with the giblets..

I washed and used a paper towel to dry off the bird - here you can take some salt, pepper or whatever seasoning you like and put it into the cavity of the bird - then grab some oil - your choice- and rub the outside of the bird and before you put the bird on the beercan stand, sprinkle the skin with your choice of dried herbs......I used a garlic/rosemary seasoning. Stand the bird up and put the holder on a cookie sheet.

Check the bird to make sure he won't flop over - because I don't have a simple BC holder, I have to put it on a cookie sheet to catch the drippings - I would put ANY holder on a sheet, just in case.

Preheat the oven to 375 and roast that sucker for about 2.5 hours.

------

When you pull him out, let it rest for a few minutes - you may not have to carve him up - the bird fell apart rather easily.

Then enjoy.

(IF you like the crispy skin of a chicken make sure that you carve him up, that way you can lay claim to the best part of the the bird.......)

Add this to the wet mixture, mix thoroughly. It makes a very soft dough, so throw it in the fridge for a few minutes to =harden up if necessary.

Form spoonfuls into 1" rough balls. Set on an ungreased baking sheet 2 inches apart, and into each one, push:

1 mini marshmallow - only about halfway in, don't push hard.

Bake for 11 minutes, marshmallow should be lightly browned. LET COOL on the tray a couple minutes before moving to a cooling rack. Remove from the tray with a spatula, as they are soft when warm. (If you don't, they fall apart very easily.)

Cool, enjoy!

If you pushed one marshmallow in too far, and it basically all melts into the cookie, you can always put another one on top of that spot and rebake that cookie for 5-7 minutes, to brown the new one!

When cool, store in an airtight container, and they'll keep well. Dunno how long, they've never lasted long enough without getting eaten!

(I had a bag of unused mini marshmallows, and didn't want to throw them in brownies - that would be too heavy for a summer service, so this is what the experiment lead to.

Latest experiment - people at church adore my shortbread cookies, so I always try different variations. okay's ended up even more of a variation than normal, and the interesting part was the dates I chopped and added turned crunchy when baked - I expected them to be chewy, but they were crunchy! Who knew?

Pat dough together if necessary (depends what temperature your butter was at when you started) then roll out to about 1/4" inch thick, cut into shapes (I just used a round cutter, with the dates in it, you need something with a sharp edge). Cutting into squares with a knife also works fine - keep the shapes small, as the cookies are rich and delicate.

Place on an ungreased cookies sheets

Bake for 20 minutes at 350° F - let cool or remove with a spatula - they are fragile when first out of the oven.

Into a big bowl (mixer or food processor), cream the butter - just beat it all up. Add the vanilla, about half the box of confectioner's sugar, and a blurp of water. Beat that all in on high, then keep adding more sugar and water until you get about the right consistency - if it gets too stiff, add a bit more water, etc.

Makes enough for one layer cake and sides, how many cupcakes depending on how thick you put it on! It will harden/dry out just on the surface and keep at room temp for a while - overnight or until he cupcakes or cake is all gone - never kept any around long enough to test how many days!

Place beans, pepper and onion in bowl. Mix seasonings, oil and vinegar. Pour over beans and marinate over night.

This is just the basic recipe - you can add other kinds of beans to it such as butter beans, black beans, or other veggies such as shaved carrots or finely diced celery. You may need to make up more of the marinade if you add more ingredients too - depending on how much of the extras that you add.

ENJOY!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wolfy ~ Fuzzbutt #3

My little dog ~ a heartbeat at my feet

Sparky the Fuzzbutt - PT's DOTD 8/3/2010
RIP 2/28/1999~10/9/2012

Myndi the Fuzzbutt - Mom's DOTD - Everyday
RIP 1/24/1996~8/9/2013

Ellie - Mom to the Fuzzbuttz

To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.
Ecclesiastes 3:1

The clock of life is wound but once and no man has the power
To know just when the hands will stop - on what day, or what hour.
Now is the only time you have, so live it with a will -
Don't wait until tomorrow - the hands may then be still.
~~~~true author unknown~~~~

* a dark, unrefined brown sugar. Apparently it contains more nurtrients. I think most of us in the Great White North would use brown sugar.

Method

Preheat the oven to fan 170C/ conventional 190C/gas 5. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface so it’s slightly thinner than straight from the pack. Then cut out 18-20 rounds with a 7.5cm fluted cutter, re-rolling the trimmings. Use the rounds to line two deep 12-hole tart tins (not muffin tins). If you only have a regular-sized, 12-hole tart tin you will be able to make a few more slightly shallower tarts.

Beat the eggs in a large bowl and combine with the rest of the ingredients except the walnuts. Tip this mixture into a pan and stir continuously for 3-4 minutes until the butter melts, and the mixture bubbles and starts to thicken. It should be thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Don’t overcook, and be sure to stir all the time as the mixture can easily burn. Remove from the heat and stir in the nuts.

Spoon the filling into the unbaked tart shells so it’s level with the pastry. Bake for 15-18 minutes until set and pale golden. Leave in the tin to cool for a few minutes before lifting out on to a wire rack. Serve warm or cold.

4. Beat eggs and maple syrup/stevia in small bowl. Slowly whisk into coconut milk in small amounts (or temper egg mixture by adding spoonfuls of coconut milk into small bowl until eggs reach the same temperature as coconut milk. Then add the egg mixture into the saucepan.)

5. Whisk pumpkin, spices, and salt in a small bowl. Add into saucepan and blend well.

6. Pour about 3/4 c. of mixture into ramekins (it should make 6). Place ramekins in a large enough roasting pan and fill pan with hot water until it reaches halfway up the sides of the ramekins.

7. Carefully place pan in oven and bake for 45-50 minutes, or until custard is mostly set but the center still jiggles when shaken.

Now now, not everyone's tummy needs dairy-free gluten free stuff! I wonder if this could be made with actual milk - skim milk, instead of coconut milk ... at least they say you can skip the Stevia by using more syrup!

Thanks, bumping up this thread reminded me - I want to try that Butter Tart Slices recipe - and there's a chance to bring a dessert for next week's church service, and as it is Worldwide Communion Sunday, it would be fun to bring a Canadian dessert!

This isn't a recipe, just a comment. A co-worker introduced me to Honeycrisp apples a few years ago. They're more expensive than other apples but I really like them. A little tart and a little sweet. My mom and dad were at the supermarket over the weekend and bought Sweetie apples, which I think are a fairly new variety. Yummy! So those are now my two favorites- Honeycrisp apples and Sweeties. I don't need honey, peanut butter, caramel apple dip or anything else to go with them. I know I'm getting old because I cut my apples into sections to eat them now instead of just biting in.

I've been Boo'd... right off the stage!

Aaahh, I have been defrosted! Thank you, Bonny and Asiel!
Brrrr, I've been Frosted! Thank you, Asiel and Pomtzu!

"That's the power of kittens (and puppies too, of course): They can reduce us to quivering masses of Jell-O in about two seconds flat and make us like it. Good thing they don't have opposable thumbs or they'd surely have taken over the world by now." -- Paul Lukas